



PRKSKSTED BY 




FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 
PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



... A ... 

Historical Retrospect 

of the 

IN PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



Read before the Rhode Island Historical Society 
Tuesday, March 23, 1909 



BY 

CHARLES M. YOUNG 



To which is appended the Report of the Committee on Trust Funds 

presented to the First Congregational Society, October 1 , 

1907, and read in connection with the above 



PROVIDENCE 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

WammB AUtatir^ of tijr JFirst Olangrrgational CCljwrrli 
1910 



^-t^!^'^* 



HAY 3i ;9iu 



FOREWORD. 



As Chairman of the Committee on Trust Funds I had the 
privilege of preparing an elaborate report on the history of 
these funds and presenting it to the annual meeting of the First 
Congregational Society on October i, 1907. 

The historical matter contained in this report was received 
with interest and approval by members of the parish. 

The report was brought to the attention of the Rhode Island 
Historical Society and I was invited to deliver it as an address 
before them. In this connection it was suggested that I should 
prepare a brief summ^ary of the history of the First Congrega- 
tional Society, annex it to the report, and thus bring the Vv^hole 
up to the required length of an evening's address. This pleas- 
ant duty I performed and by the kindness of friends, whose 
courtesy I deeply appreciate and acknowledge, am enabled to 
present it in permanent form. 

c. M. Y. 

Providence, R. I., April, 1910. 



A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT 

OF THE 

First Congregational Church, 

IN PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



A religious society which can lay claim to nearly two hun- 
dred years of continuous historical sequence possesses an in- 
terest, not only to those who regard it with an earnest and af- 
fectionate regard, but also to the historical student who consid- 
ers men, events and institutions in their true relative value 
not only to themselves but to each other. Such a society is the 
one in which I am actively interested, various aspects of whose 
continuous history of over one hundred and eighty years I 
shall endeavor this evening to portray. 

Previous to the year 1723 there were but two religious so- 
cieties in the Town of Providence, the First Baptist Society, 
dating from 1638, and the Friends, from 1718. In that 
year, funds having been contributed from the churches of Mas- 
sachusetts and Connecticut, and from other sources, a Meeting 
House in which Orthodox Congregationalism was to be 
preached was erected on a lot known as the ''Old Town House 
Lot" (on the corner of Benefit and College Streets), generously 
donated, it is presumed, by the then owner, Capt. Daniel Ab- 
bott, who was a leader in the movement to form such a So- 
ciety and who became in after years one of its influential and 
foremost members. Previous to this period the little band of 
Congregationalists had been spiritually led by ministers of that 
faith from the neighboring colonies in which Congregational- 
ism was the State Religion, but only in irregular and desultory 
visits as convenience and opportunity dictated. 



6 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

"A little over a year previous to the commencement of the 
erection of the new edifice (October, 1721) a committee of 
three clergymen on behalf of the ]\Iassachusetts churches ad- 
dressed a letter to the magistrates and principal men of the 
town of Providence to ascertain their feeling towards the new 
movement, and whether, if they should erect a small meeting 
house here, it would receive their protection. The letter is 
w'ritten with diplomatic courtesy, full of protestations of re- 
gard for the people of the town and a desire for cordial rela- 
tions of Christian fellowship." I quote Rev. Carlton A. Sta- 
ples in his Historical Discourse delivered at the One Hundred 
and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Organization of the First Con- 
gregational Church in Providence, R. L, in 1878, — to which I 
am indebted for many facts herein contained : 

''When we remember that the founder of our State had been 
driven cut of Massachusetts because he opposed the then ex- 
isting order of State and Church and that numbers of Quakers 
and Baptists had been imprisoned, fined, tortured or banished 
for non-conformity; and when we remember, also, that at the 
ver}^ time this letter was written, asking for toleration from 
the Baptists and Quakers here, this persecution and oppression 
was still going on there, we shall appreciate the assurance 
which dictated it and the spirit of raillery and sarcasm in which 
it was answered. It is signed by Peter Thacher, John Dan- 
forth and Joseph Belcher. After four months, early in 1722, 
a reply on behalf of the tovvm was returned, written b}^ Jona- 
than Spreague. It is an exceedingly spicy document, aimed at 
the intolerant and persecuting spirit of their neighbors, full of 
biting irony, fortified at every point by Scriptural allusions and 
quotations, but containing not a word in direct answer to their 
request." - 

Notwithstanding no definite reply had been received, occa- 
sional services were held in the novr completed house of v^-or- 
ship for a few years by visiting clergymen, until in May, 1728, 
a meeting was held "to consider their destitute condition," and 
the Society, by a unanimous vote, selected Josiah Cotton as 
their pastor. He accepted the call, and on October 23, 1728, 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 7 

Old Style, he was ordained. He was at that time only twenty- 
six years of age, this being his first charge in the ministry, be- 
ing a graduate of Harvard six years earlier. He came of a 
family of consecrated men, his father and brother being clergy- 
men, and moreover, he w^as the great grandson of Rev. John 
Cotton, the famous pastor of the First Church in Boston. 

He preached very acceptably here, holding the little Society 
strongly together until about 1742, when the Whitfield revival 
swept over the country like a whirlwind, defying reason and 
the most obvious principles of Christian faith. Nearly one- 
half of the communicants and many of the congregation, un- 
der its influence and in sympathy with it, seceded from the So- 
ciety, formally withdrew from its membership, and under the 
leadership of Mr. Joseph Snow, planted on the west side of the 
river a new religious society styling themselves the Beneficent 
Congregational Church (1743). 

In addition to the charges brought against Rev. Air. Cotton, 
that he was not sufficiently evangelical, was ante-Christian, etc., 
he was charged with being a preacher of "Damnable Good 
Works." 

Thus after fifteen years a harmonious, prosperous pastorate 
was wrecked on the rocks of an intense religious fanaticism, 
which v/e in this period can but faintly appreciate or under- 
stand. Families were divided, intense hostility took the place 
of Christian fellowship, and the result was disheartening to 
those who withstood the wild fury of the storm and attem.pted 
to continue regular religious Vv^orship. Rev. Mr. Cotton strug- 
gled on for a few years with the remnant of faithful adher- 
ents on a starving salary and finally resigned in July, 1747. A 
period of five years now elapsed before the Society selected a 
successor, during which time a multitude of candidates for set- 
tlement offered themselves, but none were successful. 

In 1752 Rev. John Bass removed here from Ashford. Con- 
necticut, vvhere he had just been ejected from the Congrega- 
tional Church at that place for heresy, after a pastorate of nine 
years, by the Consociation of Windham County. He became 
the second minister of this Church and served it for six years 
until compelled by broken health to resign. He had been the 



8 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

victim in Connecticut of the same wave of religious unrest that 
swept over New England at that period. In his closing entry 
of the Qiurch book at Ashford, — June 5, 175 1 — he says: 

"I was dismissed from my pastoral relation to the Church 
and people of Ashford by the Reverend Consociation of the 
County of Windham for dissenting from the Calvinistic sense 
of the Ouinquorticular Points which I ignorantly subscribed to 
before my ordination ; for which, and all my other mistakes, I 
beg the pardon of Almighty God." Thus a pronounced heretic 
as to the fundamental tenets of established Orthodoxy was se- 
lected to influence the spiritual destinies and lead and guide the 
spiritual aspirations of a people who, as a church, had all but 
been torn asunder by this identical movement which had re- 
sulted in the expulsion of their new leader by his former flock. 
A bold and audacious selection surely, but, I venture to assert, 
the stand was taken by the same kind of men and women as 
compose the membership of the Society to-day, — men and 
women who dare to trust to reason and conscience as their 
guide and to accept only those beliefs which appear to them 
rational and right. 

Rev. David S. Rowland, a graduate of Yale in the class of 
1743, a young man of exceptional ability and energy, was the 
next minister of the Society, being installed in 1762. He also 
came from Eastern Connecticut, where he had steadfastly re- 
mained for twelve years, maintaining his position as minister 
against the determined opposition of the majority of his towns- 
people. His selection proved most fortunate, for, during the 
twelve years he remained here, the Society grew in numbers 
and influence, although even yet seriously handicapped by 
financial emibarrassment. His connection with the Society was 
severed August 25, 1774, under circumstances not now known. 

In 1770, during the pastorate of Rev. 'Mv. Rowland, the Be- 
nevolent Congregational Society, v\'as formed for the purpose 
of accumulating a fund sufficient to yield an income which 
should pay all the expenses of worship. It was nominally a 
charitable organization but was in fact what in present finan- 
cial parlance would be styled a "Holding Company." 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 9 

The membership was confined exclusively to men ; and, with 
small annual dues, it became a strong and influential corpora- 
tion. It bought a farm of nearly twenty acres, near Prospect 
and Gushing Streets, for the use of the minister, erected a par- 
sonage in 1784, paying all the indebtedness thereon, including 
a bill for fifty-four gallons of West India rum, used by the 
workmen. In 1794 it purchased the lot on which the present 
edifice stands, then extending back to Hope Street, building 
the large and imposing house of worship which was burned in 
1814, and after its destruction erecting the present edifice on 
its site. It finally guaranteed the salary of the minister and 
other expenses of worship, assessing taxes on the pews in the 
Church to supplement the income from its invested funds to 
meet tlie required demands. It v/as finally merged into the 
First Congregational Society by an act of the General Assem- 
bly when the Society was incorporated at the January session 
of the Legislature in 1866. 

The Society now being without a regular pastor and the in- 
tense agitation growing out of the commencement of hostilities 
of the Revolution, the interests of the Church were merged 
into duty to country. Services were held at irregular inter- 
vals and but little enthusiasm shown. Dr. John Lothrop, of 
the Second Church in Boston, driven out of his own pulpit by 
reason of the British occupation, occupied the pulpit from i\Iay 
1775, for nearly a year. By the close of the war the scattered 
families returned, business revived and contentment became 
more assured. During the winter of 1780-81, Rev. Enos Hitch- 
cock, then a Brigade Chaplain in the Army, preached here a 
few months. This resulted in his being called as minister, his 
installation occurring October i, 1783. During his ministry 
the Society entered upon a career of substantial and perma- 
nent prosperity. With a wide knowledge of men and aflfairs, 
eager to mix in the social and business circles of the town, with 
liberal religious tendencies, his influence in the community, 
both within and without the limits of his parish, was strongly 
marked. He took an enthusiastic interest in the establishment 
of an educational system in the town. While not an eloquent 
preacher in the strict sense of the term, his preaching was sim- 



10 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

pie, practical and devout, and he possessed the faculty of lead- 
ing men where he wanted them to follow, and drew around 
him a body of strong, influential and enterprising citizens. His 
pastorate was in the line of that historic development which 
afterward culminated in the Unitarian movement. Beginning 
in the strict Calvinism of Josiah Cotton, followed by the more 
advanced John Bass, we find a wider application of these same 
tendencies in Dr. Hitchcock still emphasized and broadened in 
the personality of Dr. Edes and later in that of Dr. Hall. 

Dr. Hitchcock died Feb. 27, 1803, having served as minister 
nearly twenty years and rescuing the Society from compara- 
tive obscurity, placing it on an enduring foundation. By sa- 
gacious management and economy he accumulated a consider- 
able competence, a portion of which he left to the Society. His 
is one of the figures in Trumbull's great painting in the Capi- 
tol at Washington; his portrait hangs also on the v/alls of the 
Rhode Island Historical Society, and a marble tablet to his 
memory adorns the walls of the Church. 

Two years elapsed before Rev. Henry Edes, of Boston, was 
ordained and installed as his successor, July 17, 1805. His ser- 
mons w^ere marked by grace and polish of delivery, by inspir- 
ing eloquence, and their essence was broad and free, the result 
of honest opinion and advanced study. He was a graduate of 
Harvard, class of 1799, and possessed unusual intellectual and 
social gifts. As he occupied the pulpit during that period of 
theological controversy and strife in Xew England known as 
the Transcendental movement, his was not an enviable posi- 
tion. He took a decided stand from the first with the liberal 
party, under the leadership of Channing, and the Society over- 
v/helmingly supported his advocacy of that phase of the strug- 
gle, in his outspoken expression of his views and sentiments. 

Dr. Edes' ministry terminated June, 1832, 

Less than six months later there Vv^as installed as pastor of 
this Church one who impressed his personality on this Society 
and on the life of the community as no other minister had pre- 
viously done. 

Dr. Edward Brooks Hall, then a young clergv^man, came 
here from Northampton, Mass., where he had labored after 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. I I 

his graduation from Harvard in the class of 1820. He was in- 
stalled as pastor on the fourteenth of November, 1832, and 
continued as the spiritual leader of more than a generation of 
worshipers. His attachment to this Church was deep and sin- 
cere. His whole Hfe was bound up in it with a self-sacrificing 
devotion. By his strong, reliant, aggressive personality, his 
eloquence, energ}^ and persistent championship of every cause 
that appeared to him right, whether it was freedom, peace, 
temperance or the abolition of slavery, he became perhaps the 
leading minister of the city and has so impressed his name on 
the Church that the two will remain indissolubly connected for 
decades to come. Every charity of the city became an object 
of care to him, and many of them he organized. 

In March, 1866, after a pastorate of over thirty-three years, 
his frail body succumbed to the strain that had been put upon 
it and he was laid in the 'Tastor's Rest," the burial ground of 
the Society, one of the most charming spots in Swan Point, 
after a noteworthy funeral in which nearly the whole city rev- 
erently joined, — members of every denomination gathering 
around his bier. 

A man like Dr. Hall needs no material monument. The va- 
rious charities of the city, its hospitals, asylums, and his influ- 
ence among the worshipers in the pews to-day, testify to the 
influence of the man and his enduring fame, far more than im- 
posing bronze or the finest marble. 

Of the remaining ministers of the Society I will not speak, 
for they are all living, except that consecrated man, that man 
with a giant's frame and a nature as sweet and tender as that 
of a child, E.ev. Carlton A. Staples, with whose personality and 
activities while in this city m.any of you are familiar. 

List of ^Ministers of the First Coxgregatioxal Church. 

JosiAH CoTTOx 1728 — 1747 

John Bass 1752 — 1758 

David S. Rowlaxd 1762 — 1774 

JOHX LOTHROP 1775 1776 

Exos Hitchcock 1783 — 1803 

Henry Edes 1805 — 1832 



12 a historical retrospect of the 

Edward Brooks Hall 1832 — 1866 

Arthur May Knapp 1868 — 1871 

Carlton A. Staples 1872 — 1881 

Thomas R. Slicer 1881 — 1890 

Augustus M. Lord 1890 — 

The first creed or covenant of the Church, adopted at its 
organization, was distinctly and unmistakably Calvinistic. It 
recognized the doctrine of the Trinity, of original sin, of im- 
puted righteousness, and by inference and in general terms, at 
least, if not in direct statement of fact, the eternal punish- 
ment of the wicked. 

This was more dogmatic and conservative in belief than those 
adopted by a majority of the Congregational churches of the 
neighboring colonies. As an actual historical fact, two of the 
New England Congregational churches of the present day, 
Plymouth and Salem, still retain their original covenant, in use 
since the third decade of the seventeenth century, but they 
joined the Unitarian communion, the phraseology and breadth 
of their old statement of faith not conflicting with their 
changed religious belief. 

The first creed was retained only about thirty years, until 
1 761, v/hen the Church was without even a settled minister, 
Rev. i\Ir. Bass having resigned in 1758. Another covenant 
was then adopted, leaving out the strong Calvinistic features 
of the previous one, making it a simple covenant of Christian 
purpose and consecration, professing simply to believe in the 
Christian religion as contained in the Scriptures and promising 
to give themselves up to Jehovah their only portion and happi- 
ness, to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Mediator and Head, and 
to the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier, Guide and Comforter. 

This Vv'as in use until, in 1821, under the pastorate of Dn 
Edes, when another was substituted. It is as follows : 




o 



UJ ^ 

DC < 

O H 

Z I 

O tt- 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 1 3 

COVENANT 

OF THE 

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 
PROVIDENCE, R. I. 

Adopted October 27, 1821. 



"We whose names are undersigned do humbly and solemnly de- 
vote ourselves to the service of God in Jesus Christ, through the 
Holy Spirit. 

"We profess our firm belief in the sacred Scriptures, as contain- 
ing the revealed will of God, and engage to take them for our sole 
and sufficient rule of faith and practice. 

"We do covenant and engage, to and with each other, that in con- 
sequence to our relation to the visible kingdom of the Redeemer, 
signified b}^ our baptism, we will walk together as a Christian So- 
ciety in the faith and order of the gospel, agreeably to the laudable 
practice of the Congregational Churches in New England. And we 
do farther engage that we will endeavor ourselves, and, so far as 
in our power, will strive to induce all under our care to live in all 
good conscience towards God and man; professing ourselves to be 
in charity with those of every communion who love the Lord Jesus 
Christ in sincerity and truth. 

"To the faithful performance of these engagements, we depend 
not on our own unaided strength, but on the assistance of the di- 
vine spirit which is promised to all those who sincerely ask it. 

"We rely for the pardon of our sins, and our future and final sal- 
vation, on the m.ercy of God, as declared to us by Jesus Christ. 
And we beseech our Heavenly Father to strengthen us and to en- 
able us to keep this our covenant inviolate; and, at last, to unite us 
to the General Assembly and Church of the first born which are 
written in Heaven and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirit 
of just men made perfect." 

This was recognized as the official statement of the religious 
belief of the Society until j^»Iarch 30, 1882, when, under the 
pastorate of Rev. Mr. Slicer, the following Covenant was 
adopted : 



14 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 



COVENANT 

OF THE 

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 
PROVIDENCE, R. I. 

Adopted March 30, 1882. 



"In the love of the truth, and in the spirit of Jesus Christ, we join 
for the worship of God and the service of man." 



In our Sunday School there is in use a statement of belief 
similar in purport, v^hich is also used by several churches of 
our faith throughout the country as their official covenant. It 

is as follov^s : 

"The Fatherhood of God, 
The Brotherhood of Man, 
The Leadership of Jesus, 
Salvation by Character, 
The Progress of Mankind onward 
and upward forever." 

It is an interesting fact that in the early years of its history 
this Church was popularly known as the Presbyterian Church 
— Dr. Hall alludes to the fact in his History of the Society — 
and some of the early records of the Church were v\^ritten un- 
der that title. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 15 

During its long and eventful history the Society has occu- 
pied but three houses of worship, and of those, two were on 
the same site. As will be recalled, the Society in 1723 erected 
its first Meeting House on the ''Old Town House Lot," so 
styled, the site of the present Superior Court House. After 
using this building for over seventy years the property was 
sold to the town in 1793, and the Society immediately erected 
its second church edifice (through the efforts of the Benevo- 
lent Congregational Society) on the same site as the present 
edifice. It was dedicated Aug. 16, 1795, and used until de- 
stroyed by fire on the morning of June 14, 1814. The Society 
immediately secured the services of a local architect and con- 
tractor, John H. Greene, from whose design the present beau- 
tiful edifice was erected. Built in the Renaissance style simi- 
lar to many of the old English churches, it still remains one of 
the chief architectural ornaments of the city, reflecting the re- 
fined taste and professional skill of its designer. 



I have dwelt at considerable length upon those who have oc- 
cupied this pulpit ; of equal importance, from many points of 
view, are the occupants of the pews, who have supported the 
minister in his various policies, and sympathized and encour- 
aged him in his efforts to uphold the belief which we profess. 
From the earliest time this Church has been the recognized re- 
ligious home of many of the representative citizens of this vi- 
cinity. On the interior wall of the Church, on either side of the 
main entrance, are two plats of the Church with the names of 
the pew holders — one containing the names of the families of 
the parish at the present time, the other those of the year 181 5, 
and it is remarkable and at the same time significant that there 
are so many families represented in both lists. 

Col. Daniel Abbott and Dr. Jabez Bowen were among the 
first members, as were later, Samuel Nightingale, Dep. Gov- 
ernors Darius Sessions and Jabez Bowen. At a still later pe- 
riod on the Church records appear the names of Grindall Raw- 
son, John Reynolds, Joseph Manning, Dr. James Green and 
Deacon Edward Taylor, who, uniting with the Church at 



l6 AHISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

eleven years of age, before the pastorate of Mr. Rowland, re- 
mained an active member until his death under Dr. Hall. Dur- 
ing this period John Howland also became interested in the So- 
ciety, remaining a member for over eighty years, during forty 
of which he acted as Deacon. A generation later the names of 
the Burrills appear ; also the Lymans, Maurans, Bowens, Sulli- 
van Dorr, Tristam Burgess, Richardson, Nightingale, Samuel 
W. Bridgham, Hamlin, Crapo, Draper, Whittaker, Jenckes, 
Bullock, Larcher, Dexter, Earle, Sheldon, Henry, Wheaton, 
Brown, Tillinghast, and others, names identified with the cult- 
ure and refinement of the city and as well with its business, 
professional and political life. Under Dr. Edes and Dr. Hall 
we notice the names of Anthony, George William Curtis, Burn- 
side, Weeden, the Lippitts, Doyle, and many others. The pres- 
ent congregation fully sustains the traditions and character of 
the laity of the past. 

In about a year a marble memorial tablet will be placed on 
the interior wall of the Church to commemorate the men who 
went out from this Society and Sunday School to the War of 
the Rebellion. 

The list, as complete as possible at the present time, is as 

follows : 

Volunteers from The First Congregational Society and Sunday 

School in the Service of the United States during 

THE War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. 

Lieut. James H. Armington 
Frederic J. Armington 

Gen. Richard Arnold 
*Corp. Daniel Lyman Arnold 

Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside 
*Col. Nathaniel W. Brown 

Sgt. Edward W. Brown 

Gen. Joseph P. Balch 

Col. James T. P. Buckhn 

Lieut. Com. John R. Bartlett, Jr. 

Lieut. Henry A. Bartlett 

Capt. Walter C. Bartlett 

Bvt. Col. Martin Page Buffum 

Sgt. Daniel Bush 



Lieut. 


Frederick S. Brown 




John H. Cady 


Sgt. 


Nathaniel B. Chace 


Maj. 


George W. Gushing 




Geo. W. Gushing, Jr. 


Maj. 


Harry C. Gushing 




Samuel T. Gushing 


Maj. 


J. J. Comstock 




Samuel C. Davenport 


*Sgt. 


Benjamin H. Draper 




Cornelius Draper 


Capt. 


Arthur F. Dexter 




Samuel S. Davis 




William L. Dunbar 



♦Killed in battle or died from wounds contracted in the service. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 



17 



*Capt. 


James Henry Earl 


Lieut. 


Henry Pearce 


Maj. 


W. H. Harrison French 




William B. Pearce 


*Lieut. 


George W. Field 


Lieut. 


Col. Joseph S. Pitman 


*Corp. 


Samuel Foster 


Lieut. 


Leonard B. Pratt 


Lieut. 


Charles T. Green 




Dexter D. Pearce 


Capt. 


Thomas Green 




Christopher Rhodes 




Albert N. Green 


Adjt. 


James L. Richardson 


*Adjt. 


George Foster Hodges 




Oscar Richardson 


*Capt. 


Wm. Townsend Hodges 




Josiah W. Richardson 


Chapl 


ain Edward H. Hall 




Charles H. Richardson 


*Lieut. 


Wm. Ware Hall 




William A. Richardson 


Capt. 


Wm. E. Hamlin 


Lieut. 


Frank A. Rhodes 




Pardon S. Jastram 


Col. 


George E. Randolph 




William D. Jones 




John Randolph 


*Lieut. 


Benj. E. Kelly 


Ensign Peyton FL Randolph 


Sgt. 


John B. Kelly 


Lieut. 


R. Kidder Randolph 


Lieut. 


Sylvester R. Knight 


Gen. 


Lewis Richmond 


Col. 


Edwin Metcalf 


Gen. 


James Shaw, Jr. 


Maj. 


George Metcalf 


Maj. 


Richard G. Shaw 


Capt. 


Joel Metcalf 


*Capt. 


John P. Shaw 


Gen. 


Joseph H. Metcalf 


* 


Walter M. Sheldon 


*Lieut. 


Frederick Metcalf 


*Capt. 


Charles Tillinghast 




Henry H. Metcalf 


* 


Henry Lyman Tillinghast 




James P. Metcalf 


Lieut. 


Nicholas Underwood 




Lewis H. Metcalf 


Gen. 


Frank Wheaton 


Lieut. 


Charles Felix Mason 


Surgn 


. Francis L. W^heaton 


Adjt. 


Charles H. Merriman 


Lieut. 


William L. Wheaton 




Carlo Mauran 


Capt. 


William B. Weeden 




Frank Molton 


Lieut. 


Richard Waterman 


Capt. 


Charles D. Owen 


Midshipman Rufus Waterman 



Thus, in brief outline, I have indicated the salient features 
of the progress of this Society, which by its ministry, its mem- 
bership and activities is so interwoven with the life, growth 
and progress of the city as to be an integral part of it. 



* Killed in battle or died from wounds contracted in the service. 



1 8 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 



REPORT 



COMMITTEE ON TRUST FUNDS 



TO THE 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY, 



AT ITS 



Annual Meeting held October 1, 1907. 



In accordance with the By-Laws your Committee desires to 
submit the following Report : 

As the details of the income and disbursement of the vari- 
ous funds for the past year will be embodied in the Report of 
the Treasurer submitted this day, your Committee desires to 
lay before you the origin, history and development of the va- 
rious Trust Funds under its supervision. 

The different Trust Funds owned by the First Congrega- 
tional Society in the order of priority are : 

Name of Fund. Date of origin. 

Hitchcock Fund 1803 

Dorrance Fund 1813 

Throop and Society Fund 1815-1817 

Cemetery Fund 1853 

Reynolds Fund 1874 

Julia Bullock Fund 1894 

Caroline Richmond Fund 1905 

Marv G. Henderson Fund 1906 



first congregational church. iq 

Hitchcock Fund. 

The oldest Fund held by the Society is the Hitchcock Fund 
bequeathed to it by the Rev. Dr. Enos Hitchcock, a former 
Minister of the Society. 

Enos Hitchcock was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 
1744. Choosing the ministry as his profession he entered Har- 
vard University, graduating in 1767, and soon after became 
associate pastor over the Society in Beverly, Massachusetts. 
During the War of Independence he joined the Continental 
Army as Chaplain, and, by his dignity, his patriotic appeals to 
the troops, and by his wise counsel and advice he soon became 
intimate with and a trusted adviser of Washington. 

At the close of the War he amicably severed his connection 
v/ith the Society at Beverly — which had never released him — 
and on October 3, 1783, was installed as pastor of the Benevo- 
lent Congregational Church in Providence, continuing in that 
position for nineteen years. In 1785 he was elected a Fehow 
of Brown University, and three years later, in 1788, the same 
University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Di- 
vinity. 

During his pastorate here he not only became one of the 
leading preachers of the town, but took an active interest in 
all matters relating to civic betterment, especially the establish- 
ment and advancement of education. A marble tablet to his 
memory has been placed on the east wall of the interior of this 
Church, and his portrait also adorns the walls of the Rhode Is- 
land Historical Society's Cabinet. 

He died February 27, 1803, and from his v/ill, recorded 
March 7, 1803 — ^ ^OPY of which in full, together v/ith that of 
his adopted daughter, Martha H. Jordan, can be found in a 
volume entitled "Hitchcock Fund," in the possession of this 
Society — I quote the sections applicable to the purpose of this 
Report : 

"Imprimis. Impressed with the importance of preserving Re- 
ligious Institutions and the necessit}^ of estabhshing Funds for the 
support of Religious Worship I give to the Benevolent Congrega- 
tional Society in Providence Five Shares in the Providence Bank 
estimated at Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars the dividend 



20 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

interest or income only arising therefrom to be applied solely to 
the support of a learned and pious Minister of the Congregational 
order. But if there shall be any alienation or appropriation of said 
property by said Society, contrary to the true intent and design 
above expressed, it shall be in the power of any of my Lawful 
Heirs to sue for and recover said Property and upon receipt 
thereof the same shall be divided amongst my Brothers and Sis- 
ters or their Heirs in proportion to the Legacies hereafter given 
them in this Will. 

"Item. I give to ^lartha LL Jordan my adopted daughter one 
Share in the Providence Bank, in Trust for the purpose of her re- 
ceiving the dividend or Interest that may be payable thereon and 
paying the same to my faithful Black man Caesar whom I pur- 
chased from Slavery at eleven years old and caused to be man- 
umitted and to whom I give the dividends or Interest paj^able as 
aforesaid towards his support, during his life. Also I give to the 
said Caesar a Suit of mourning such as he shall choose.* 

"Item. AA\ the rest of m}- Estate not herein otherwise disposed 
of I give to the said Alartha H. Jordan but it is my desire that as 
she v/ill receive by this bequest divers Insurance Company and 
Bank Shares that she should receive only the Dividends which 
ma}'- be payable thereon from time to time and that she should 
make suitable provision in case of her decease without issue that 
one moiety of all the said Shares which she shall receive as afore- 
said shall be vested in the Benevolent Congregational Society and 
be added to the Five Bank Shares herein before given to said So- 
ciety be applied to the same purpose and held on the same Condi- 
tion as the said Shares." 

And the said Martha H. Jordan carried out the intentions 
of her benefactor, for from her Will, dated Alay 6, 1803, and 
recorded May 23, 1803, I quote: 

"Imprimis. Whereas the Reverend Enos Elitchcock Doctor of 
Divinity by his last Will and Testament gave me a part of his Es- 
tate consisting of Bank and Insurance Company Shares, and in the 
same Will expressed his desire, that I would make suitable pro- 
vision for the disposal thereof after m}^ decease, as mentioned in 
said Will. Now in-compliance with his Request I do give and be- 
queath all the Shares in the Providence Bank (except one share 
given me as Trustee for Caesar a black man named in said Will) 
all the Shares in the Exchange Bank, and in the Washington In- 
surance Company, which were given me by the said Enos in his 



*The remains of the above mentioned Caesar are interred in the Society's burial lot at Svran 
Point Cemetery, 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 21 

Will aforesaid in manner following — that is to say — One moiety 
thereof to the Benevolent Congregational Society in Providence 
to be added to the hve Bank Shares given to the said Society by 
the said Enos in his Will aforesaid, and to be applied to the same 
purpose and held on the same Condition as the said Shares, and 
subject to the like forfeiture upon the alienation or appropriation 
thereof contrary to the true intent of said Enos as expressed in his 
said Will. 

"Item. The share in the Providence Bank given me as Trustee 
of said Caesar, I give to the said Benevolent Congregational So- 
ciety upon the following conditions, that is to say, that during 
the life of said Caesar, the said Society shall pay him the Dividend 
or Interest that ma}' be payable thereon towards his support and 
at his decease that they pay to the said Caleb Hitchcock David 
Hitchcock Enos Cutler and the Widow and Children and Grand- 
children of said Moses Hitchcock the one half of the value of said 
Share or of the proceeds thereof in case the same shall be vested 
in an}- other kind of property, to be divided amongst them, in the 
same proportion as the other Shares before mentioned are ordered 
to be divided, to whom I give the moiet}^ of the value of said 
Share the Share itself not being capable of division — And I do or- 
der the said Share to be held by said Society after the decease of 
said Caesar, for the same purpose, and subject to the like forfei- 
ture with the Five Shares given the said Society by the said Enos 
in his Will aforesaid." 

As will be observed by the above, the Benevolent Congrega- 
tional Society came into possession of the following property 
as the result of these bequests : 

Sept. 27, 1S03 Five Shares in Providence Bank given by Rev. 
Enos Hitchcock, D. D. 

June 6, 1804 Five Shares in Providence Bank given by Martha 
FI. Jordan in compliance with the request of the said Enos Hitch- 
cock. 

June 6, 1804 One Share in Providence Bank given by Martha H. 
Jordan in trust for support of Caesar. 

June 6, 1804 Four Shares in Exchange Bank given by Martha 
H. Jordan. 

June 6, 1804 Fifteen Shares in Washington Insurance Company 
given by ^Martha H. Jordan. 

On June 6, 1804, the Society purchased two shares of the 
stock of the Providence Bank from the executors of the Es- 



22 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

tate of Martha H. Jordan which were combined with the other 
eleven shares of the Fund and have so remained up to the pres- 
ent time. 

As a result of the fires at Chicago, October, 1871, and at 
Boston in November, 1872, the par value of the stock of the 
Providence Washington Insurance Company was reduced to 
$5 (five dollars) a share. By the consolidation of the Provi- 
dence Washington Insurance Company and the Newport Fire 
and Marine Insurance Company in 1875, the fifteen (15) 
shares were reduced to one and a half shares — par value fifty 
dollars. November 13, 1875, one-half share was purchased by 
the Treasurer of this Society under advice of the Committee 
on Trust Funds who were instructed to consider the advisabil- 
ity of purchasing the half share at a meeting of the Society 
held November 2, 1875. On November 9, 1905, the four shares 
of National Exchange Bank stock were sold and the proceeds 
were invested in a Certificate of Deposit in the same Institu- 
tion. So that the securities comprising this Fund consist at 
the present time of : 

13 Shares Providence National Bank. 

Certificate of Deposit in National Exchange Bank. 

2 Shares Providence Washington Insurance Co. 

I would state in parenthesis that in one item of his will Dr. 
Hitchcock left sixty volumes from his library to the ''Proprie- 
tors of the Library in the Parish of Brookfield," upon condi- 
tion that they apply to the Legislature of the State of Massa- 
chusetts for an act of incorporation, and in another he left 
one hundred dollars to the above Library upon condition that 
its Proprietors raise a like sum by subscription or otherwise, 
for the purchase of new books for said Library. 

The above facts, coupled with that in relation to that of his 
black servant, together with other known facts concerning him, 
must convince us that in Enos Hitchcock this Society had an 
unusually able and fearless Minister, a man of commanding 
personality and strong individuality, with a breadth and clear- 
ness of view far in advance of that of his own generation, and 
by character and attainments fully equal to the best traditions 
of this Pulpit. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 23 

In this connection I would state that on January 13, 1777, 
Colonel Daniel Hitchcock, a brother of Dr. Enos Hitchcock, 
commanding a brigade under Washington in the Continental 
Army, died in Morristown, New Jersey, from exposure due to 
the severe hardships encountered by the army in that terrible 
winter's campaign. 

From the "Life and Recollections of John Howland," by 
Edwin M. Stone, page 78, I quote : 

"About the third day after our arrival at Morristown Colonel 
Daniel Hitchcock, who commanded the five regiments composing 
our brigade, died from the exposure and sufferings he had experi- 
enced in this dreadful campaign. He was a very accomplished gentle- 
man and a fine officer. Few of the generals exceeded or equalled 
him in talents. He was educated at Yale. Some hours before his 
death, when unable to hold a pen he requested an officer and the 
physician to write as his will that he gave one half of his property 
to his only brother and the other half to the Benevolent Congre- 
gational Society in Providence. This they wrote and signed in his 
presence and it w^as confirmed by the Court of Probate." 

The will above referred to was proved in the Court of Pro- 
bate March 19, 1777, and can be found in Book of Wills 6, 
page 174. ' It is as foUovv^s : 

"I give one half of my estate to the Benevolent Congregational 
Society in Providence — the remainder to be equally divided among 
my brethren. 

Morristown Jany 10, 1777." 

Witness Samuel Armstrong. 
William Holliday 
Benjamin Boss. 

"N. B. The Interlineation was before the evidences signed — By 
Colo. Daniel Hitchcock. Desire I wrote the above & he then ap- 
peared to Me to be in Perfect State of Mind. 

Elisha Story."' 

Annexed to the will is an affidavit signed and sworn to by 
the above witnesses before Will Livingstone, Governor of the 
State of New Jersey, to the effect that "said Daniel Hitchcock 
Declared in their Presence and Hearing that through excessive 
Pain and Weakness he was imable to sign the Said instrument 



24 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

and that to the best of their judgment the Said Daniel Hitch- 
cock was of a Sound mind & in his perfect senses at the Time 
of the aforesaid Pubhcation." * 

An inventory of the Estate filed by the Executor appointed 
by the Court places the total value of his property of all kinds 
at £644-12-4^ or about $3,136.29 at the current rate of ster- 
ling exchange. So that if the full amount of the value of his 
Estate as inventoried was realized the Benevolent Congrega- 
tional Society came into possession of about fifteen hundred 
dollars ($1,500) as its share of the bequest. 

It is not improbable that the funds with which the Society 
purchased two shares of bank stock from the Estate of ]Mar- 
tha EI. Jordan came from the above source. As the early rec- 
ords of the Society have been lost, it is utterly impossible to 
verify the assertion, but as the shares were merged into the 
Hitchcock Fund, it would have been very appropriate, and 
lends additional strength to the argument. 

Be the claim substantiated or not, the fact remains undis- 
puted that Colonel Daniel Hitchcock was a benefactor of the 
Benevolent Congregational Society, and as such his name 
should be associated with those whose personality is bound up 
with the history and growth of this Society. 



DoRRANCE Fund. 

John Dorrance, a prominent citizen of the Town of Provi- 
dence and to whom this Society is indebted for the above be- 
quest, was born in Scituate, R. I., in 1747. He entered Rhode 
Island College (now Brown E^niversity), graduating in 1774. 
He afterwards practiced law and becam^e one of the leading 
attorneys of the State. In 1794 he was elected Justice of the 
Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions, retaining that 
position by repeated re-elections until 1801. 

He v/as very active in the political life of the community, 
representing this town frequently in the General Assembly, and 
was a candidate for Congress, although defeated. In the very 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 2 5 

heated, and, at times, acrimonious political discussions of that 
period, his was always a prominent figure. 

His estate, on which his '']\Iansion House" — as he styles it 
in his will — was situated, was the estate now numbered 73 
Westminster Street, occupied on the ground floor by the West- 
minster Bank. The present Dorrance Street was also named 
after him. 

He died June 29, 1813, and from the codicil of his will, re- 
corded July 5, 1813, in Book H, Page 328, I quote: 

"Fifthly — Taking into consideration the importance of Sup- 
porting the Public Worship of Almighty GOD to whom I feel in- 
debted for every blessing which I have enjoyed through life and 
to whom I look for happiness in the life to come, and further tak- 
ing into consideration the attachment which I have ever had and 
still have to the Benevolent Congregational Society in Providence, 
I do hereby give and bequeath to said Society and their Successors 
forever the Sum of One thousand Dollars to be paid to them in 
one year after the decease of my beloved Wife out of the other 
fourth part of said residue of my estate and hereby make this leg- 
acy to Said Society chargeable on the same fourth part of the Said 
residue of my estate; the same Thousand Dollars to be vested in 
such funds or stocks that it may become a part of the permanent 
funds of said Society, the income interest or profite arising there- 
from only to be made use of and that to be applied solely to the 
Support of a learned and pious Minister of the Gospel of the Con- 
gregational Order: But if there shall be any alienation or appro- 
priation of said Thousand Dollars or any part thereof or of the 
use, income or interest arising therefrom by said Society contrary 
to my true intent and meaning as above expressed it shall be in the 
power of any one or more of my heirs at law to sue for and re- 
cover the above legacy from said Society for the use and benefit of 
all my heirs at law among whom the same shall be divided in equal 
portions." 

The fund is at present invested (as it has been invested since 
1838) in 20 Shares ^Mechanics National Bank Stock. 



Throop and Society Fund. 

Another leading personage prominent in the early history of 
the Town of Providence whom we, as a Society, shoidd hold 
in grateful remembrance, is Dr. Amos Throop. He was born 



26 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

in Woodstock, Conn., in 1735, but his father dying the same 
year he was left as an infant without kin or resources. 

Dr. Jabez Bowen, the then leading physician of Providence, 
residing on the street that now bears his name, and, in fact, 
named after him, being an old friend and distant connection 
of the family, befriended the unfortunate child. He took him 
into his own family, educated him and taught him all he could 
of his own profession. 

The young man read all the medical works available at that 
time, visited with the Doctor on his professional calls, and so 
equipped himself that at the death of Dr. Bowen in 1770, he 
succeeded to his practice. Like nearly all physicians of that 
day he was the proprietor of an apothecary shop, which was 
situated on the easterly side of North Main Street near Cheap- 
side (now the west side of the lower portion of North Main 
Street). 

Of very affable disposition, generous, hospitable and public 
spirited, he was a prominent figure in the social, business, po- 
litical and religious hfe of the town. He was elected to the 
General Assembly but declined a renomination. When the Na- 
tional Exchange Bank was organized in 1801, he became its 
first President, holding that position continuously until his 
death in 1814. He was one of the original incorporators of the 
Benevolent Congregational Society, but withdrew after a few 
years and attended King's Church, now Saint John's Protestant 
Episcopal Church on North Main Street, where he became 
active and prominent. 

He was organizer and first President of the Rhode Island 
Medical Society, and in the "Transactions of the Rhode Is- 
land Medical Society," volume 4, page 135, can be found a 
lengthy sketch of his life, together with his likeness. An oil 
painting of him also hangs on the walls of the Rhode Island 
Historical Society's Cabinet. 

He died April 14, 1814, having given previously a bond pay- 
able six months after the decease of himself and wife to the 
Benevolent Congregational Society for $1,000, the proceeds of 
which were applied, as is inferred from the Treasurer's ac- 
count, to the purchase of 59 shares of the original stock of the 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 2/ 

old Union Bank, the Benevolent Congregational Society being 
an original subscriber to that amount at the time of its organ- 
ization and afterwards increasing its holdings to 70 shares. 

Other sums received from a balance on hand after the erec- 
tion of the new Meeting House seem to have been added to the 
above fund, as appears by the report of the Committee dated 
February 13, 1817. The addition of the funds of the Society 
to that of the Throop Fund undoubtedly originated the com- 
pound title of the Fund as it now appears in the reports of the 
Treasurer and of this Committee. 

The old record book of the Society in which was probably 
recorded the intended disposition of those sums of money has 
been for many years lost, but the late Charles H. Sheldon, 
for many years Treasurer of this Society, has left a memo- 
randum to the effect that from careful inquiry of the older 
members of the Society, a like disposition as to that of the 
Hitchcock Fund should be made of the income of this fund, 
and it has been for many years applied to that purpose. 

The Union Bank having gone into liquidation, the proceeds 
were invested in the Stock of the National Exchange Bank, 
and so held until sold by vote of the Society November 9, 1905, 
when it was invested in the following securities and is now so 
held. 

The invested securities of the Fund are as follows : 

Six bonds of Connecticut R. R. & Lighting Company. 
One bond of N. Y. Central & Hudson River R. R. Co. 

Cemetery Fund. 

On April 27, 1849, as per a deed on file, the Benevolent Con- 
gregational Society purchased from the Swan Point Cemetery 
Corporation, a plot of ground ''in the easterly part of said 
cemetery, consisting of about (5) five acres,'' for $7,505.20, its 
payment being made by a note. The Benevolent Congrega- 
tional Society having gone out of existence the above plot was 
transferred on the books of the Cemetery Corporation Decem- 
ber 28, 1868, to the First Congregational Society by authority 
of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, the 



28 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

latter Society having been duly incorporated by act of the Leg- 
islature. 

At a meeting of the Benevolent Congregational Society held 
Tuesday evening, February 8, 1853. it was voted: 

"Any sums that may be hereafter received from the sale of lots 
shall be faithfully appropriated b}^ the Society as a permanent 
Cemetery Fund to be vested in productive stocks and said stock 
shall be designated on the books of the Treasurer as the Cemetery 
Fund and the Principal of said Fund shall forever hereafter be 
kept entire and inviolate for the purpose aforesaid but all dividends 
and income accruing thereon shall forever hereafter be applied to 
the preservation and ornamenting of said cemetery by this Society 
through the Committee on the Cemetery and Cemetery Fund act- 
ing under the Society's advice and direction, from time to time, 
and to no ether object or purpose whatever'' 

As at first invested the fund included : 

20 shares Liberty Bank Stock. 
6 shares National Eagle Bank. 

The Liberty Bank having gone into liquidation the amount 
received in dividends was invested in stock of the National 
Exchange Bank, Vv^hich was sold November 9. 1905, and rein- 
vested in bonds of Oregon Short Line R. R. Company. 

The first investment also included the above mentioned 
Stock of the National Eagle Bank, which after liquidation 
netted a dividend on October 11. 1901. of $42.40 a share, and 
a final dividend. January 31, 1902. of $8.00 a share. 

The Fund at the present time consists of : 

80 shares Blackstone Canal National Bank Stock. 
10 shares Providence Gas Company. 
q Bonds Oregon Short Line R. R. Co. 



Reynolds Fund. 

But little is known of Captain John Reynolds, the founder 
of the fimd which bears his name, beyond the fact that he was 
a retired master mariner and a constant attendant of this 
Church. He resided for over thirtv years in the residence 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 29 

numbered 31 Benevolent Street, where he died quite suddenly 
December 18, 1859, at the advanced age of 87 years. 

By his will, found in Book 18, page 501, he bequeathed to 
this Society upon the death of his wife, Lydia J. Reynolds, his 
Mansion House and lot, where he resided, for the benefit of 
the poor of the parish. It is designated as Lot 390 on Asses- 
sors Plat 12, situated on the south side of Benevolent Street, 
157 feet east of Brown Street. 

Annexed is the paragraph of his will referred to : 

"Eighth: — At the decease of my said wife I give and devise to 
the First Benevolent Congregational Church and Society and their 
successors and assigns in this City in fee simple forever my ]\Ian- 
sion House and Lot on which it stands together with my garden 
Lot adjoining where I now live on Benevolent Street in this City 
with all the privileges and appurtenances thereof, for the special 
benefit and behoof of the Poor of said Church and Soc'ety hoping 
that said bequest will be so managed as to afford the greatest pos- 
sible relief to those for whom it is intended. And I hereby order 
my Executors or their successors on the happening of the con- 
tingency upon which this desire depends, to transfer and set over 
to said Church and Societ}- as aforesaid my ^lansion House and 
estates on Benevolent Street and to give good titles for the samie.'' 

In another item of his w^ill he bequeathed several parcels of 
personal property to the Town Council of his native town of 
Exeter, Rhode Island, it being his desire that the Town pur- 
chase and equip a farm suitable for the support of the poor 
and indigent of the town. 

Lydia J. Reynolds, his widow, died September 19. 1874, at 
the above mentioned residence, and the estate came into pos- 
session of this Society by deed from the executors October 22d 
of the same year. 

At the annual meeting of the First Congregational Society 
held October 6, 1874, a motion was passed, ''that the Commit- 
tee on Trust Funds examine into the matter of the Reynolds 
Estate and report what was best to do with the same." After 
examining the estate this Committee requested that a special 
meeting of the Society be called and notice was given from the 
pulpit that said meeting would be held in the Chapel on Xo- 
vemiber 9, 1874, at 73^ o'clock p. m. 



30 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

The Committee then reported that after careful examination 
of the estate and obtaining estimates of repairs on the same, 
that it was not advisable to repair it but recommended selling 
it at auction and reinvesting the proceeds. 

Whereupon the following votes were passed : 

"Resolved: That the Committee on Trust Funds are hereby au- 
thorized and directed to sell at public auction the estate on Benevo- 
lent Street in the City of Providence devised to the First Congre- 
gational Society by the last will of the late Captain John Reynolds. 

"Resolved: That the Treasurer of this Society is hereby directed 
to execute, seal, acknowledge and deliver to the purchaser at such 
auction, such deed of said Estate as shall be approved by said 
Committee on Trust Funds. 

"Resolved: That said Committee are hereby directed, in case it 
becomes necessary, to apply to the Supreme Court for authority 
to sell such Estate and reinvest the proceeds upon the same trusts 
as are in said will contained. 

"Resolved: That said Committee are hereby directed to invest 
the proceeds of such sale in a note or notes secured by mortgage 
or in Bonds of the State of Rhode Island or the City of Provi- 
dence or in some National Bank Stocks and that said investment 
be known as the 'Reynolds Fund.' " 

The Committee then requested Air. Francis J. Sheldon, Auc- 
tioneer, to advertise said estate to be sold at auction on Mon- 
day, November i6, 1874, at 12 o'clock. It was sold at that 
time to Mrs. Charlotte R. Goddard for five thousand six hun- 
dred and fifty dollars. The deed was made by the Treasurer, 
but it being Trust property her attorney was not satisfied with 
the title until permission was obtained from the Supreme Court 
to sell said estate. That was obtained on the 7th of December, 
1874, and the deed passed and money paid over. The Supreme 
Court authorized the Society to invest in Bonds of the Provi- 
dence and Springfield Railroad Company, guaranteed by the 
City of Providence, or deposit with the Rhode Island Hospital 
Trust Company. 

The Society then .purchased five (5) one thousand dollar 
bonds of the Providence and Springfield Railroad Company, 
thus guaranteed by the City of Providence, which, with pre- 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 3 1 

miums paid, cost $5,079.58. The balance — $570.42 — was de- 
posited with the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company, Par- 
ticipation Account. 

The bonds of the Providence and Springfield Railroad Com- 
pany having become due and paid, the Committee on Trust 
Funds on October i, 1892, bought fifty shares (50) National 
Exchange Bank Stock at $100 a share, costing $5,000, and in 
order to comply with the decree of the Court to legalize the 
Fund, deposited the remainder — S79.58 — in the Rhode Island 
Hospital Trust Company. 

By reference to the Decree of the Supreme Court, October 
Term, 1874, authorizing the First Congregational Society to 
sell the property above mentioned and invest the proceeds 
thereof in certain securities, the Committee found that they 
could not legally hold National Bank Stock without applying 
to the Supreme Court to modify such decree, and consequently 
the bank stock was sold and the amount deposited in the Rhode 
Island Hospital Trust Compan}-, Participation Account. 



Julia Bullock Fund. 

This fund vvas the amount included in a bequest made by the 
late Julia Bullock, wdio in section four of her will, recorded 
June 19, 1894, bequeathed to this Society the sum of five thou- 
sand dollars in trust. The will in full is recorded in Book No. 
5, page 370, at City Hall. 

Aliss Bullock is well remembered by the older members of 
this Society as a lifelong member of the Church. She was very 
active in both Church and Sunday School, taking a great inter- 
est in all the various activities of the Society, and dispensing 
a lavish though unostentatious cliarity in various channels. 

Born in Providence, November 10, 1814. the child of Rich- 
mond and Rhcda (Peckham) Bullock, she was connected with 
two prominent local families and in later years occupied the 
residence situated on the northeast corner of Brown and Be- 
nevolent Streets, where she died ]May 22. 1894. 



32 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

Extracts from the Will of Miss Julia Bullock. 

"Sec. Third. I give devise and bequeath all my rights powers 
and privileges in and to the free bed which I established at the 
Rhode Island Hospital entitled the Mrs. Rhoda Bullock free bed 
unto the First Congregational Society- in said City of Providence 
its successors and assigns forever. 

"Sec. Fourth. I give devise and bequeath to the said First Con- 
gregational Society in said Providence my pew in its Church to 
be and remain unto it, its successors and assigns forever. I also 
give devise and bequeath to the aforesaid First Congregational So- 
ciety its successors, and successors in said Trust, and their respec- 
tive heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. Five thousand 
dollars in Trust for the following purposes. 

"To invest the same, as soon as may wisel}^ be done in such 
bank or other stocks, railroad, state or municipal or other bonds, 
notes secured by mortgage, or other forms of personal estate, as 
the said Trustee of said fund may deem prudent, having regard rather 
to security of investment rather than amount of income, and after 
the payments of all taxes, if any such there be; and other burdens 
imposed thereon by law or rendered necessary for its benefit, and 
all and every expense necessary for the management and preserva- 
tion of said trust estate, to apply the income thereof from time to 
time in its discretion and in such sums as it may deem best to the 
use and benefit of such deserving poor as it desires to assist giving 
preference to such as belong to or usually worship with the said 
Society. 

"And I direct that the said Society or other Trustee or Trustees 
for the time being in charge of the aforesaid trust estate may at 
any time during the continuance of said trust whenever they maj^ 
deem it advantageous to the said trust estate or any part thereof 
sell the same or any portion thereof at public or private sale and 
the proceeds of such sale or sales reinvest in the various securities 
and kinds of estate above enumerated for the purposes of said 
trust, and make sign seal execute acknowledge and deliver all such 
deeds, transfers and other instruments, which in their judgment 
are necessary or expedient properly to discharge the powers au- 
thorities discretions and duties of the aforesaid trust contaming 
such agreements, powers, powers of sale, covenants and other pro- 
visions as the}^ maj^ deem appropriate, proper and necessary to that 
end." 

The fund consists of 
20 shares Providence & Worcester R. R. Company's Stock. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 33 

Caroline Richmond Fund. 

On Xovember 8. 1905. ^Miss Caroline Richmond, a lifelong 
resident of this city, daughter of the late George I\I. and Anna 
(Eddy) Richmond, died at Fountain, Colorado, and was buried 
from her late residence. 65 College Street. She was very much 
interested in the phase ot religious belief which this Society 
represents as the following extracts from her will, found in 
Book of Wills 91, page 14. proved December 12, 1905, v/ill tes- 
tify : 

"Eighth: — I give to the First Congregational (Unitarian) So- 
ciet}' Four Thousand ($4000) dollars; to the Women's Alliance 
of the same Two thousand ($2000) dollars; to the Westminster and 
Woodbury Memorial Church Three thousand ($3000) dollars. I 
bequeath to the American Unitarian Association, a corporation 
having its headquarters at 25 Beacon Street in the City of Boston, 
the sum of eighteen thousand ($18000) dollars." 

The full amount bequeathed as above was duly received from 
her Executors and is now invested as follows : 

National Exchange Bank, Certihcate of Deposit. 



I\L\RY G. Henderson Fund. 

^lary G. Henderson, widow of the late William H. Hender- 
son, was the daughter of IMichael and Hannah Freeborn, of 
Newport, at which place she also was born. She died in Provi- 
dence, July 16, 1906, at 150 Cliftord Street, v/here she and her 
late husband had resided for forty-two years. In her will, 
proved August 14. 1906, and found in Book 94, page 66. she 
remembered this Society by the following bequest : 

"Thirteenth, I give and bequeath to the First Congregational 
(Unitarian) Society of Providence, the sum of Five Hundred Dol- 
lars." 

On October 11. 1906. the Treasurer received from her exec- 
utor the above amount, and it is now on deposit in the Na- 
tional Exchange Bank, Certificate of Deposit. 



34 A HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF THE 

In this connection I will insert extracts from the will of her 
husband, the late William H. Henderson, a prominent business 
man of this city and for many years Treasurer of the Am.eri- 
can Screw Company. 

He died February 3, 1897, and in his will proved March 2, 
1897, found in Book 40, page 102, are the following provisions : 

"Sixth: — To pay the sum of One Thousand Dollars to the First 
Congregational (Unitarian) Society in said Providence for the uses 
of said Corporation; but to be held by it in trust and to be kept 
invested so long as the rules of law will permit, with power to 
change the investments and reinvestments thereof as aforesaid; 
and the net income thereof to apply towards the maintenance of 
the Sunday School of said Society. 

"But none of these foregoing legacies payable after the death of 
my wife (except that to said Mary R. Read, that to the Island 
Cemetery Company and those out of the fund of Twenty Thou- 
sand Dollars set apart for my brother and his wife and my nephew 
and niece as aforesaid) shall be paid until the expiration of ten 
years after the death of my said wife, or if I should survive her, 
ten years after my death, unless the total value of my estate shall, 
within that time, in the judgment of my said Trustees be sufficient 
to pay the same and leave the sum of One Hundred and Twenty- 
Five Thousand Dollars for the Henderson Home for Aged Men 
hereinafter provided for." 

It was the desire of Mr. Henderson, to which he gave ex- 
pression in his will, to partially repay what he considered an 
obligation to the people of Newport, Rhode Island, the birth- 
place of both his wife and himself, and he therefore so w^dled 
that his estate will accumulate by investment and reinvestment 
until it reaches the amount of one himdred and twenty-five 
thousand dollars ($125,000.00), when his executors will erect 
and equip at an expense of twenty-five thousand dollars a 
"Home for Aged Men" in the City of Newport, and with the 
remainder, one hundred thousand dollars, establish an Endow- 
ment Fund the income of which shall be expended in its main- 
tenance and support.* 



*The Society has received from the Executors of the Estate of the late William H. Hen- 
derson the one thousand dollars mentioned above, the interest of which is to be applied to 
the uses of the Sunday School. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 35 

**In the preparation of this report in addition to our own re- 
searches we have drawn largely from an elaborate memoran- 
dum left by the late Charles H. Sheldon, who acted as Secre- 
tary and Clerk of this Society from August i, 1859, until Oc- 
tober 13, 1868, and who afterwards was Treasurer from Octo- 
ber 5, 1869, until his death, February 15, 1902. We also take 
this opportunity to acknowlede the many courtesies extended 
by the present Treasurer, Augustus R. Pierce, and also to 
Clarence S. Bridgham, Librarian of the Rhode Island His- 
torical Society. 

"An endowment Fund belonging to any institution, whether 
educational, charitable or religious, is of inestimable value to 
such institution in developing the work and purposes which it 
represents. The combined aggregate amount of the various 
Trust Funds controlled by this Society forms practically an 
Endowment Fund for us and is of great assistance in dispens- 
ing a wise, discriminating charity and in decreasing the finan- 
cial burdens of our members, thus enabling them to give wider 
scope to the various activities that cluster around and neces- 
sarily look to the Church for support. 

"To those who, during several generations, have been im- 
bued with a deep, strong religious faith, combined with an ac- 
knowledgment, sometimes expressed and always implied, of an 
affectionate attachment to this historic Church, and all that it 
stands for, have with wise foresight and intelligent generosity 
given of their substance to perpetuate this work, we as a So- 
ciety owe a debt of deep appreciation and should strive to keep 
their names in grateful remembrance.'* 



A HISTORICAL RETROSPEQ 



OF THE 



First Congregational Society 

IN 

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 



By CHARLES M. YOUNG 



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